Happily Ever After
by Miranda Switch
Summary: Soon after the War, Hermione and Harry leave for Australia to fix her parents' memories. While they are there, can they finally come to terms with the submerged feelings between them? COMPLETED
1. I We'll Meet Again

'Where are you going?'

Hermione's voice made Harry stop. He was walking down the stairs of the Great Hall, having just seen Snape's memories and realised what fate kept in store for him.

'You're going to the Forest, aren't you?' she asked.

Harry turned around. There she was - her face was scratched, and unclean; her hair was a mess; her clothes were ripped in several places; there was no glimmer of hope, that sparkle that was always in her intoxicating hazel eyes. His voice sounded brittle as he spoke.

'I've known for a while, and I think you have too.'

'Harry?'

'There is a reason I can hear them, the Horcruxes; there is a reason I can look into Voldemort's mind. _I _am a Horcrux, and you know a Horcrux needs to be destroyed in order to kill Voldemort. Ron and you know what has to be done after I am dead. Kill the snake, and then it's just him.'

'No, Harry,'

'I have to. There's no other choice.'

Tears were streaming down Hermione's face. 'I'll go with you,' she wept.

'No, Hermione, you can't. Stay here and win this battle, for me. And you'll be happy, with Ron. Trust me.'

She took the remaining few steps towards him and flung her arms around his neck.

'Oh, Harry,' she cried into his shoulder. Harry kissed the top of her head.

She pulled back and took his face in her hands, looking intently as if studying him. Harry realised he was doing the same, he was staring hungrily at her for the last time in his life. There were so many things he had to say to her, but he realised it was too late.

'Ron was never the one for me,' she whispered, looking deep into his eyes. Her face was so close to his, he felt dazed. He wanted to grab her hand and take her somewhere else, somewhere away from the battle, somewhere warm and peaceful and happy where he could whisper things to her. But such a fate was not going to come to him.

Suddenly, Hermione's lips were pressed against him. Harry's mind might have burst. She was kissing him! They were _kissing_, something he had wanted to do ever since their sixth year, when he had begun to fall in love with her. The kiss was slow and tender; Harry put in all his love for her into the kiss, trying to convey to her all that he wanted to say.

The glorious few moments came to an end, as do all good things. Once again Harry was surrounded by war, by rubble, by blood and dead bodies. Hermione was crying uncontrollably now. Harry hugged her for one last time and kissed her forehead.

'We'll meet again, Hermione,' he whispered into her bushy head, and with his own tears finally breaking the dam, he turned around and left. 'HARRY, wait!' Hermione screamed, running after him as fast as she could, but he quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself. 'NO!' Hermione cried, dropping herself to the ground as she began to sob into her hands.


	2. II The Defeat

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Harry Potter, or any of its characters.**

* * *

**HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

'_Harry Potter_, come to die…' whispered Lord Voldemort, lifting his wand with pale-white, spidery fingers.

Harry closed his eyes, and thought only of Hermione, of the feel of her lips on his, her eyes, her smile – then there was a cry followed by a flash of bright green light; and everything went black.

'Harry Potter is dead!' cried Voldemort.

'_No_!'

Hermione could not cry, tears would not come. She could not explain how she had managed to shout. Her knees gave way and she would have fallen had Ron not grabbed her.

'Harry Potter is dead, do you hear me, you silly girl?' Voldemort roared gleefully.

'He defeated you!' shouted Ginny and Ron, the latter keeping a firm hold on Hermione.

'Oh, did he, you filthy little fools? _Ava _– '

'_Stupefy_!'

Harry had let himself fall from Hagrid's arms, taken to his feet and presently, had his wand pointing at Lord Voldemort, who had been thrown a small distance away by the force of Harry's spell. The crowd had fallen silent, apparently at a loss for words. His insides were burning with rage. How dare he aim to kill his friends!

'You can never win, Tom,' sneered Harry, fuming.

'HARRY POTTER!' roared Tom Riddle. He raised his wand at him, and at that moment Harry knew he could do it, he could finish him.

Voldemort's red eyes were gleaming with fury. He shot a beam of green light at him, Harry dodged. He could feel a thousand eyes upon him and Riddle.

'You think,' spat Voldemort, 'that love can save you? _Love_, Dumbledore's pathetic excuse for a weapon! Love didn't stop me from squashing the life out of him, did it?'

'You think _you _killed Dumbledore, Tom?' asked Harry. 'He had planned his death with Severus Snape, months before you 'squashed the life out of him'.'

Riddle hissed like an angry snake, and raised his wand.

'_Avada Kedavra_!'

'_Expelliarmus_!'

The red and the green met, producing a blinding beam of light. Harry heared Riddle roar, this time, in pain. The Elder Wand flew out of his hand and hovered towards Harry, who, with his long-time skill of the Seeker, caught it in his free hand. With a final cry, Tom Riddle's empty shell collapsed to the ground with a thud and Harry felt all thousand eyes upon him.

The sun rose over the Hogwarts castle, over the deathly silence which prevailed for a minute before the whole place seemed to erupt with cheers and shouts and cries. He turned around and saw Hermione standing up, her mouth wide open. She began to sob and ran towards Harry, throwing herself at him. Harry hugged her tight, his smile growing wider with each second. Hermione had buried her face in his shoulder and she shook convulsively as tears soaked Harry's shirt. Ron and Ginny came next, beaming as their arms wrapped around him, followed by Neville, Luna and the Weasleys. Harry could keep no more track as more and more people rushed towards him, trying to hug their saviour. He held Hermione close, as she kept blubbering incomprehensibly into his throat. Harry was lifted onto the shoulders of Ron, Ginny and Neville, and he looked around to see everyone beaming at him, even Hermione, who was wiping her tears with her hands, her face alight with happiness. As he smiled down at her, Harry thought she had never been more beautiful.


	3. III A New Day

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter!**

* * *

**HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Early next morning, Harry found himself unable to sleep. So he left their dormitory and after freshening himself, and pulling on a shirt and jeans, he walked out of the castle to feel fresh air.

Presently, he was sitting under the beech tree by the Lake, leaning against its trunk and watching the Giant Squid, and most importantly, revelling in the familiarity of it all. He could not, however, hear the ever-so-familiar footsteps behind him.

'Harry?'

He turned around and saw Hermione, smiling slightly at him. She was looking much cleaner, even the wounds and bruises on her face were gone; she now donned a yellow checked t-shirt and a new pair of jeans. 'Hey,' he replied, smiling back.

'D'you mind if I sit down?'

'Course not.'

Hermione sat down cross-legged onto the grass, beside Harry. She looked at him; and he had this strange urge to tuck the loose tendrils of her hair behind her ear. So he reached out and did so. Their eyes locked, and at that moment he knew they were both thinking the same thing. Their kiss. Hermione took a deep breath and said, 'Listen.'

Harry turned so that he was fully facing her. 'Harry,' she began, 'I've decided I'll be going to Australia next week, to fix my parents' memories. Ron's told me he'll be going to Romania with his family. So, I've been thinking.' She glanced at Harry and continued, 'I want you to come with me. I mean, only if you want to, of course. If you – '

Harry cut across her by taking her hand and squeezing it. 'I will go with you, Hermione, I want to.'

Hermione looked at him. 'You do?' she asked softly.

'Yes, Hermione.'

'Oh, thank you so much, Harry,' she said, smiling brightly and hugging him. Harry kissed her temple and said, 'Don't mention it.'

'Morning, you two!'

Harry and Hermione pulled apart suddenly and saw Ron walking towards them, grinning broadly and knowingly.

'Hi, Ron,' Harry said cheerfully and took the Chocolate Frog Ron was offering him. Hermione said, 'Good morning, Ron,' and took hers. Ron bit into his own and said, 'Couldn't sleep, huh?'

Harry shook his head. Ron turned to Hermione and said, 'So, did you ask him?'

'Yeah, I did,' she replied.

'What did he say?'

'He said yes,' said Harry, smiling.

Ron looked awed. 'How did you – ?'

'Don't be so daft. We've been friends for seven years, mate. That's a long time.'

'That is,' agreed Hermione. Then she asked, 'What's up with you and Luna, Ron?'

'Er, what?'

'You and Luna. What's up with you two?'

'Oh, that.' Harry could see Ron's ears go bright pink. 'Erm, we - er'

'Leave it,' Hermione said, smiling shrewdly. 'I just asked because I noticed you two are spending a lot of time together. Know what I mean?'

'Not sure I do, Hermione,' Ron said, feigning ignorance and gulping down his chocolate. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and burst into peals of laughter.

'Oh, you sure don't, Ron.'


	4. IV Mr and Mrs Granger

_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

_Hey, everyone. I'm sorry it's been what, around three months, since I last posted. But, I had exams, then project work, then I had more than one ideas about this story - so I couldn't figure out which one I should go with and I was kinda facing a writer's block. Sorry about that. But here's the fourth chapter of Happily Ever After, and it's longer than the other three. _

_Sorry again, and well, read and do review! Enjoy!_

_DISCLAIMER: If I'd owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't have been writing all this fanfiction. _

_A week later…_

It was evening, and the street was rather quiet and lonely. There were several houses along it, most of them were quite large and looked like they belonged to affluent families. One of them had a vast lawn with numerous roses and lilies, and above the door there was a sign that read: The Wilkins' Dental eucalyptus trees on the other side of the street stood tall and proud, and a few wooden benches were constructed below them – but they were empty.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the couple appeared. They looked really young, about seventeen or eighteen. The girl had brown eyes and her golden-brown hair was tied in a plait. The boy had shiny green eyes and very messy jet black hair, a thin lightning-shaped scar adorning his forehead. The two were clutching each other's hands.

As soon as the girl's eyes caught sight of the house in front of her, she whispered, "This it it." Then, she began to walk forward towards the house, dragging the boy with her. She opened the gate, and stepped on the little paved walkway that ran through the lawn to the door of the house. She looked at the flowers and said to the boy, "Mum always wanted to have a lawn like this, you know." The boy smiled and squeezed her hand. She looked at him and said, "You think I can do it?"

"I know you can do it."

She smiled and said, "Let's go then."

When they were at the doorstep, the boy pressed the bell, and a chime rang throughout the quiet house. Then there was movement inside, and the door was opened by a kind-faced woman. She had blue eyes and bushy brown hair. She smiled and said, "Hello, dears. How may I help you?"

The girl's eyes began to water and she whispered, "_Mum_", but it was too soft for the lady to hear.

The boy held out his hand, shaking the woman's and said, "Well, good evening, Mrs Wilkins. I am Harry Potter, and this is my friend Hermione Granger. I'm having a bad toothache since last night, and so we need your help."

"Why not? Follow me," she said kindly, welcoming them inside.

They followed her to a room, she opened the door to reveal a clinic – complete with chairs and all sorts of tools. A brown-haired man was seated at the table, hunched over some papers.

"Dear," the woman said, "we've got a patient."

The man looked up and Harry was met with eyes identical to Hermione's. Mrs Wilkins said, "They are Harry and Hermione. Poor boy's got a toothache."

Mr Wilkins smiled, and shook each of their hands. "Well, Harry, do sit down and let us see you."

Harry did as he was told, and both Mr and Mrs Wilkins began to check his teeth, turning their backs on Hermione. She wiped her eyes quickly, and pulled out a thin wooden stick from her jeans pocket, and pointed it at the couple. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and muttered the incantation she'd worked so hard on, under her breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw a blue glow filling the room, and a split second later, it was gone; and she was looking at a very puzzled-looking Mr and Mrs Granger.

"Mum? Dad?"

"Hermione?"

Hermione gasped, and began to sob hysterically. Mr Granger said, frowning, "I think you've got a lot of explaining to do." When Hermione had controlled herself, she looked at Harry, who understood that she wanted to speak to her parents alone and left the room.

"Sit down, you want some tea?" asked her mother.

Hermione shook her head, but sat down on one of the chairs. Her parents took the other two.

And then she began…

It had been almost twenty minutes since she was in there. Once or twice, Harry even heard raised voices and could not help but wonder if he could check on Hermione. But he did not, deciding to let the Grangers talk everything out; instead, he went out to the garden and waited there.

Almost half an hour later, Hermione came out of the house. To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement. Her eyes were red, puffy and wet. Tendrils of hair had escaped her neat plait and were surrounding her flushed, tear-streaked face. He ran to catch up with her, and was quick enough to grab her hand when she Disapparated, taking him along.


	5. V Disagreement

_AUTHOR'S NOTE_

_Hi, readers. I'm glad to be able to post Chapter Five of Happily Ever After. It's the longest chapter till date (around fifteen hundred words, whereas the others were around six or seven hundred). I actually posted this last night, but then I had to re-post because the chapter was filled with HTML code (Sorry for the inconvenience). But now it's all good. Enjoy the chapter, and please let me know what you think about it!_

_DISCLAIMER_

_Nope, I still don't own HP._

_HAPPILY EVER AFTER_

_Chapter Five_

They Apparated right in the front of the door of Hermione's bedroom in their hotel suite. Before she could even try to run from him, he took her in his arms; Hermione, no more able to hold back her tears, buried her face in his chest and let it all out. She held on to Harry's jacket as if her life depended on it, and wept soundlessly, her shoulders shaking convulsively as Harry, at a loss for words, just held her tight.

"I'm sorry," she murmured after a long while.

Harry looked at her. "What for?"

"For being such a blubbering mess, Harry, I'm so –"

"Shh," he cut her off by putting a finger on her lips. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with tears, looked up at him. "Hermione," he began, "don't you _dare _be sorry for what you feel. I won't allow you to feel sorry. Now," he wiped her tears away with his thumb, "do you want to talk about what happened?"

Hermione bit her lower lip and said, "They're furious. They think it was wrong of me to modify their memories, wrong of me to try to keep them safe. They don't want to understand the gravity of the situation we were in!"

"Hermione, they're your parents. They'll understand eventually. I promise you, Hermione. They'll come to their senses."

"I don't know, Harry, did they want me to leave them like that–innocent, defenceless Muggles, alone back in London. They'd be perfect, as a source of information about you, as hostage to make us surrender, to the Death Eaters. Do they think I'd want that?" Her voice was rising, and eyes threatening to spill over again.

"Of course they don't. You're their child, Hermione, they love you. They can't be forever angry with you. You should visit them tomorrow, or the day after; they'll cool down by then."

"Or maybe I should go back to London," she sniffed, turning her face away from Harry so he would not see her wiping her eyes.

"Hermione, you're talking rubbish! You will go back to their place tomorrow, I'll make you!" Harry said, the words coming out louder than he had meant them to.

Hermione's eyes flashed dangerously. "You can't tell me where to go and where not to. I think I am big enough to decide," she replied coolly.

Harry grabbed Hermione's face and said sternly, "You're deciding wrong, trust me. I'm your best friend, I've known you for around seven years and I think you should listen to me because you're not in your right mind. You're not thinking properly."

Hermione pulled Harry's hand away from her face and said in a very ice voice, "Well, then you should probably leave me alone for a while. Goodnight, Harry."

She walked into her room and slammed the door shut, not throwing another glance back at Harry. He stood dumbstruck, staring at her door, before turning and retreating to his own room.

When he woke up the next morning, Hermione's door was still shut. Well, he usually woke up earlier than she did. He went into the kitchen and began to make Hermione's favourite – sausages, buttered toast and coffee – for breakfast. He hoped it would cheer her up, and they could forget their last night's quarrel. However, she never appeared out of her room. At last, when it was well past Hermione's usual wake-up time, Harry proceeded carefully towards Hermione's door, afraid she had charmed it to knock him backwards when he came near. She had not, apparently, and he turned the doorknob. The door swung open to reveal – an empty room. The bed looked as though it had never been slept in. Hermione's latest read, _Memory Magic _by Dorothy Davenport lying on her desk. Harry opened her wardrobe to see most of her clothes still in there. Her trusty beaded bag, wand, reading glasses and her favourite novel (_The Great Gatsby_) were not there. His heart threatening to burst, Harry plopped down on the bed, head in his hands, beads of sweat appearing on his temples and forehead. If only he had not argued with her last night, if only he had never asked what had happened with her parents…

Harry went back to the kitchen and put Hermione's breakfast in the fridge, before Apparating himself to the Grangers'.

He pressed the bell, and once again, the sound reverberated through the house. The mahogany door opened, and Charlotte Granger's face appeared. She frowned at Harry, then said, rather coldly, "Yes?"

Harry cleared his throat and said firmly, "Hello, Mrs Granger. I'm Harry, er, Hermione's friend. Would you mind sparing a bit of your time? I've got to talk to you two."

Mrs Granger looked as though she was thinking of refusing, but decided otherwise and nodded curtly, letting Harry in.

"Sit down, Harry."

Harry made himself comfortable on one of the plush couches in the Grangers' drawing room. "Would you like some tea?" asked Mrs Granger.

"No thank you, Mrs Granger."

"Who is it, Charlotte?" came the voice of Mr Granger.

"It's Harry Potter," replied Mrs Granger.

The couple seated themselves in front of him, both looking expectantly at him.

"Is this about our daughter?" asked Richard.

"Well, yes," replied Harry, "I want to know why you two are angry on her just because she tried to save your lives."

"She shouldn't have," said Charlotte simply, "we never expected this of her. She ought to have been more responsible."

"I'm sorry, but I disagree. Do you understand why she modified your memories in the first place?"

"Yeah," said Richard, "some loon wanted you dead and – "

"Exactly. Voldemort tried to kill me when I was one year old, and almost every year, since I was eleven, he tried to kill me repeatedly. There was a prophecy which said that either I'd kill him, or he'd kill me. But I wasn't the only he tried to kill. There were so many talented wizards and witches that were murdered by him, or under his orders – including our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore – and he was considered one of the greatest wizards of all time. Voldemort did not stop at killing just wizards and witches. He did not spare Muggles, either. He killed them just because they were there. I think Hermione has been telling you about me ever since we met, and therefore, you would be very useful to him. Muggles, with no way to escape someone who could murder just by saying two words; Muggles who knew such a lot about his biggest enemy Harry Potter; Muggles, who were the parents of Harry Potter's best friend, confidante, Hermione Granger, he knew I would reveal myself if I got wind of the fact that he'd got you two. Do you now realise why your daughter chose to modify your memories? Because she loves you, and she would rather die herself by coming with me, than risk your lives. Did you even try to put yourself in her shoes and analyse the situation?"

Neither Granger spoke a word. Charlotte bit her lip and Harry realised she looked exactly like Hermione did when she was deep in thought. He continued, in a quieter voice, "Hermione is the best, most wonderful person I have ever met. I don't deserve her, really, but somehow she thinks I do. She put herself in danger a countless number of times to save me, I'd probably be dead back in my first year if not for her. Everything she did was for our sake, for Ron and me. She deserved to complete her seventh year at Hogwarts, top the N.E. , get a graduation – but she gave up all that. At least now that the War is over, she deserves to get some happiness. You could give her that, so think about what you said to her, OK?"

Charlotte sighed and looked up at Harry. "You love her, right?"

Harry replied, "I've always loved her as my best friend. Now, it's as if those feelings have changed. It's like I can't live without her, she's my lifeline. So yes, I guess I'm kind of starting to love her as someone more than just a best friend."

"Have you told her?"

"Not yet."

Richard now spoke, "Harry, could you please tell Hermione we want to meet her this evening?"

"I don't know where she is."

"_What_?" asked Charlotte.

"We, er, had a bit of a fight last night. She said she wanted to go back to London, I told her she should try and talk to you again. She asked me not to make decisions for her, then she just slammed the door. When I woke up this morning, she wasn't there in her room."

"Has she really gone back?" whispered Mrs Granger.

"No," said Harry, "her clothes and some more stuff are still in her room. Well, that's all I had to say. Do you want me to let you know if I find Hermione?"

"Yes, please," said Richard, a pleading tone in his voice.

"Alright, I'll send an owl. You _do _know what that is, right?"

"Yes, of course, Harry," Charlotte replied, "but please, find our daughter."

"I will," came Harry's determined reply.

_A/N: I've already written down the next chapter, I've just got to do a few modifications/corrections before I publish it. Hopefully it'll be up within this week. _


	6. VI Misunderstandings and Reunions

_A/N: And here I present... Chapter Six of Happily Ever After. See, I'd told you I'd update soon. I'm also glad that I'm able to write longer chapters, because the first few were really short. Enjoy the chapter, and please review!_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't know Harry Potter. The absolutely awesome Joanne Rowling does!_

* * *

**HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

_**Chapter Six**_

* * *

It was almost lunchtime. Harry had searched three possible locations – their hotel, the place around it and the public library. He finally came across the back of a café, deciding to have some food there, when he saw something, or rather someone.

It was Hermione. She was standing near the counter, talking with a thin blonde lady. She was smiling, but Harry could see the redness in her eyes and cheeks. She nodded, paid the lady for whatever meal she had there, then left the café, but through the front door. Harry ran, around the café and when he reached the front of it, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Breathing heavily, he approached a group of girls near the entrance.

"Excuse me?" he said. One of the girls looked at him; she was very pretty, with long golden hair, light blue eyes and lips painted bright red. Her friends giggled at him, then left her alone to talk with him.

"Yes?" she said in a simpering manner.

"Um, did you just see a girl, around as tall as me, with a book and a pair of glasses?"

She pouted, then said, "You're gorgeous. I'm Evie, by the way "

Harry was flabbergasted. "Sorry, er, Evie, but did you see anyone like I described?"

"A girl with a book and glasses, you say? Why're you looking for some nerd like that? You're so good-looking, you could date _me _instead."

Irritated, Harry shook his head and said, "Don't call her a nerd – anyways, please tell me if you saw her."

Evie ran her hand up Harry's arm, coming dangerously close to him and said, "Oh, maybe she's the one right there –"

Harry turned his head quickly, and saw Hermione, looking right at the two of them, her mouth slightly open. Apparently, she had just been to the bakery across the road, because there was a pouch in her hand, stamped with the same logo. Their eyes met, Hermione looked once at Evie, then back at Harry, before storming out of sight.

It was a good thing, thought Harry, that there were Muggles all around, which meant Hermione could not Apparate. He soon caught up with her and grabbed her hand. Hermione turned and said coldly, "What do you want, Harry?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he pleaded, taking hold of both her hands. "I'm sorry for fighting with you last night. Forgive me?" His green eyes were wide, almost as if he were a child who wanted something desperately.

"I forgave you, but I think you'd want to spend your time with your new girlfriend."

"What?"

"You've got yourself a new girlfriend, that's great," she said, smiling a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. "Since I have forgiven you now, you don't need to chase me anymore. I'm going back to the hotel. D'you want me to have dinner ready for you when you come back?"

"Hermione, you've gone mad. When did I get a girlfriend?"

She looked furious. "Who was that girl, then? That – that pretty girl I saw you with. You two looked rather close, if you ask me."

"Hermione, you're out of your mind. Do you think I'd go out with any random girl I met on the road? No! _Listen to me_," he said resolutely, for she was trying to walk away. "I saw you coming out of the café, but then I couldn't see you after that. I asked that girl if she'd seen you, and – "

"Why were you two looking so 'friendly' then?"

"We weren't, Hermione, trust me. She's like one of those girls who see me as The Boy Who Lived, a hero - like back at Hogwarts. Remember? Those girls who'd give an arm and a leg to be with me."

"Oh, I don't know, Harry. Where were you this morning, then? I came back to the hotel and you weren't there – so where were you?"

"You'll hex me if I tell you. Please, Hermione, let's go back to the hotel. I'm sorry. Really."

Hermione sighed, took his hand and turned on the spot, disappearing from the road.

* * *

Harry half-smiled when they reached the hotel, hoping things were better now. But then, Hermione dropped his hand, said, "I'll be back," and vanished into her room.

He went back to the kitchen, and to make her happier, made blueberry pancakes, and warmed up her sausages, toast and coffee, feeling much better than he had since last night. When he came out of the kitchen, he saw Hermione sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back resting against the couch, _The Great Gatsby _on her lap. His eyes softened at the adorable sight before him.

"Hey," he said softly, approaching her and sitting down beside her. Hermione closed the book and sniffed, "yes?"

"I, um, made these for you. I actually made part of it to give you this morning, but well, you weren't there."

Hermione looked at him and said, taking the plate from him, "Thanks."

"I'm sorry, Hermione."

"It's OK."

"Really, I'm sorry for arguing with you last night. Forgive me?"

She chuckled, "I already said I forgave you, Harry. I'm sorry too."

"Are we good, then? You won't run away?"

Hermione laughed and said, 'We're good. And no, I promise I won't run away."

Harry put his arm around her, holding her close, while Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, smiling slightly to himself when he saw Hermione's cheeks turn pink.

"Where _did _you go this morning, Hermione?" he asked, looking sideways at her.

"Oh, actually, I went to the Magical Transport Office here to see if Portkeys were available," she replied meekly, blushing.

"Why?"

"I don't want to stay here anymore. My parents don't want me."

Suddenly, Harry remembered. "Hermione," he said, sitting up and forcing her to look at him, "you are _not _going anywhere. You will listen to me. You'll go to your parents' house right now and talk to them—"

"Harry – ," she began in a warning tone.

"Please," he begged, taking both her hands in his. "For me?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "OK, but I'm going only because you said please."

Harry laughed and pulled her close to him. "Please always works. You should eat something, by the way."

* * *

To say Hermione was surprised would be an understatement. That was because, the moment the Grangers' door opened, her parents almost threw themselves at her, which was the reaction she had least expected.

"Oh, _darling_," her mother sobbed, holding her close while her father kissed her forehead.

"You'll forgive us, won't you?" she said, breaking the hug.

"Mum –," Hermione began, shock evident on her face.

"We're so sorry, honey," Charlotte said tearfully.

It was now that Hermione's eyes began to fill with tears. "I'm sorry, too, Mum. I'm sorry, Daddy."

"You have no reason to be," assured Richard, hugging his daughter again.

"Yes, you just wanted to keep us safe. And we refused to understand that," said her mother, dabbing at her eyes. "You should thank Harry. He was one who made us come back to our senses. You were trying to go back to London, weren't you?"

"Yeah," said Hermione, her face flushed.

"Good thing you actually didn't," Charlotte laughed. "We are really sorry, Hermione."

"It's OK," she said. Charlotte gave her daughter a sloppy kiss on the forehead, and then hugged Harry, who blushed wonderfully.

* * *

_A/N: Now, I think should press that little 'Review' button and let me know what you think. I've also published the first chapter of a two-shot called 'The Blind Date' this week. If you haven't read that, please do. OK, I've got to go now. See you soon._

_\- Miranda_


	7. VII Never Been Happier

Nope. I DON'T own Harry Potter.

* * *

**Happily Ever After**

_**Chapter Seven**_

* * *

Hermione had finally been reunited with her parents, and had spent a day with them. They would be returning to London tomorrow with Mr and Mrs Granger, and the two of them had decided to spend their day off just being with each other. They had walked around the place, been to the local museum and had lunch at a restaurant.

Presently, they were on top of a small hillock of sorts, surrounded by trees. There was a breeze whistling around them, and Hermione threw her hands up in the air, spinning round and round like a little girl and laughing. Her hair was windswept with locks escaping from under her blue woolly hat. Harry could not help but stare at her – she looked more beautiful than ever and he was beginning to feel once more what he had been feeling for quite a while but had managed to keep submerged.

She soon grew dizzy from the spinning, and Harry caught her right before she fell. She continued to laugh and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck. He smiled when he felt her grin against his chest and held her closer.

"Let's sit down," she said finally.

"What was that for?" he asked, smiling.

"I _am_ allowed to be barmy sometimes, aren't I?" she replied, brown eyes twinkling; she sat down on the grass with her back against a tree.

"Yeah," he said, sitting down in front of her. "It's nice to see you like that."

She looked up at him and said, "You think so?"

"I do," he replied, taking her hand.

After a few moments of silence, Harry spoke. "Hermione?"

"M-hm?"

"There's something… something I've been wanting to ask… for a while now."

"What is it?" she said softly, looking expectantly up at him.

"D'you remember – a few weeks ago – when we were at Hogwarts, you – I mean –"

"I kissed you," she said quietly. Harry flushed and said, "Why did you do that, Hermione?"

She gave a soft laugh. "Wow, it's been only a few _weeks _since the War ended." She took a deep breath and repeated, "I kissed you."

"_Why_, Hermione?"

"I might as well tell you now," she sighed. "There were certain events, situations, which made me realise how important you are to me. When I saw you after the Third Task during fourth year, covered in blood and Cedric's body – I realised I couldn't live without you, and that I liked you as more than my best friend. I thought – maybe – you felt the same. Then you started liking Cho and I had to move on. I tried to show interest in Ron but I just couldn't – not when my heart was with someone else."

"Hermione –"

"No, let me finish." She sounded close to tears. "I tried to – I tried to keep my feelings hidden, but that day when you said you were going to die… I just _couldn't_. Not anymore. Somewhere along the lines, I'd fallen in love with you, Harry Potter. You don't have to feel the same; I just thought I'd let you know. I'm sorry if I've –"

"I love you too, Hermione."

Her eyes shot up to meet his. "You _what_?"

Harry took hold of both her hands and said, "I _do _feel the same for you, Hermione. I'm in love with you. I've been for so long."

She smiled as her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. She threw herself at him, both of them landing flat on the grass. She hugged him tightly and laughed, the sound reverberating through his entire being. She looked back at him and blushed when his eyes went to her mouth.

"I love you," he murmured before pressing his lips to hers. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back and loving the feel of his lips on hers. His fingers wound into her hair and the only thought he had was that he could keep doing this until the end of time.

They drew apart, smiling widely and breathing heavily with their foreheads resting against each other.

"I can't believe we didn't do that sooner," she said.

"Well, we both thought the other didn't feel the same, didn't we?"

She laughed, rolling over to lie beside him, their fingers intertwined.

"I've never been happier."

* * *

_A/N: I know this chapter is short and I'm sorry about it. I think HEA is coming to an end. Probably there are one or two more chapters left. Thanks for reading it, and guys, please, drop a review on your way out. I love feedback. _

_Also, I'm thinking of writing a sequel to HEA. I'd love to know your views._


	8. VIII Happily Ever After

**Apologies for the long delay. I had a terrible bout of Writer's Block and had to write a few one-shots to get it cured. Anyway, here's the last chapter of Happily Ever After.**

* * *

**HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Cardboard boxes were lined along the wall of the mellow living room and a fire crackled brightly in the fireplace. In one of the cosy armchairs sat a middle-aged man with sandy blonde hair and friendly brown eyes, his fingers interlocked in front of him and his elbows on the armrests as he surveyed the people in front of him. Well, one person to be exact.

Harry Potter was no doubt very charming, and Mr Granger had heard nothing but praise for him from his daughter every time she came home from school. Yet, he could not help but look out for his baby girl - who seemed to have devoted herself to the well-being of Harry.

His wife, Charlotte, gasped again as their daughter recounted the tale of their escape from the wizarding bank, which was supposed to be the most secure place in the entirety of the wizarding world.

"_You rode a dragon_?" Charlotte said in a low whisper. Hermione nodded and Richard felt a surge of pride at the bravery of his daughter.

"You could have died," she continued to whisper. "Oh, Hermione."

Richard saw Harry grin at that. "Oh, no, Mrs Granger, Hermione's the one who saves the rest of us from dying."

The older couple had to smile at his words, while Hermione turned slightly red and looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Harry defended. "I just said the fact, love."

Richard's eyes widened at the last word just as Harry realised his slip and his face flushed. Charlotte smiled and smacked her husband's shoulder lightly.

Hermione hid her face by drinking deeply from her mug of hot chocolate.

Richard cleared his throat. "So, what were you planning to do with those boxes, pumpkin?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Hermione had already conveyed her decision to them thrice.

"I'm going to shrink them," Hermione replied, "and put them in my bag. Then we'll enlarge them once we get back to London."

"Ah," Richard nodded, "and what was the name of the transport that we're going to use to go back?"

Harry looked from his girlfriend to her father and back. "It's called a Portkey, Dad," Hermione said, her voice the same one she used to lecture Harry and Ron about the importance of homework back at Hogwarts. "It's just a plain object, but once it's activated, it'll get you to a specific place when you touch it. See this chain?"

Hermione fished a rusted chain out of her pocket and displayed it before her parents. "I went to the Australian Ministry of Magic last afternoon. This chain is a Portkey. It'll get activated at nine in the morning tomorrow, and we'll use it to go back."

"I see," said Richard. "Interesting."

"Hermione," Charlotte said pointedly. "Will you help me wash these mugs, dear?"

Hermione looked puzzled. "I could just use magic, Mum. You don't need to -"

Charlotte shot her a look. Hermione sighed and stood up, gave Harry (who looked distinctly frightened now) a sympathetic look and followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Your dad and Harry need to talk. Your dad'll go nuts if he does not get to threaten the boy," her mum said before she could utter a word.

"But doesn't he trust me?" Hermione sighed, twirling her wand in her fingers.

"Oh, darling, he does not want to accept the fact that his baby is all grown up," Charlotte laughed. "And also, dear, put that wand down. I am not so old that I cannot wash four mugs by hand."

Hermione rolled her eyes and slid her wand into the pocket of her jeans.

* * *

"Harry," Richard said, standing up, "would you like to see the broccolis I grew in our backyard?"

Harry stood up too and rubbed his sweaty palms on the denim of his pants. "Sure, Sir."

He went after the older man to the French doors on the other side of the room, doors which led to a verandah and then charming backyard with a round tea table and chairs and a patch of land for Mr Granger to practise his gardening. Large, dark green broccolis were planted in rows in the patch, and Mr Granger gestured proudly at them.

"Impressive, Sir," Harry attempted to grin in a friendly way but Richard was giving him a look that was a half-glare. He stood on the wooden floor with his hands locked behind him.

"Let's get to the point, then," Richard cleared his throat. Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on between you and Hermione?"

Harry looked at the other man. "She's my best friend, Sir. She's always been my best friend first. And I love her. I've always loved her, first as a friend and now as something more. I promise you, Sir, I'll never do anything to hurt her. At least not intentionally."

Mr Granger observed Harry for a while before clearing his throat again. "Good to hear that. Of course, if you ever break her heart, you have me to be scared of. Keep that in mind."

Harry gulped. "Definitely, Sir. But as I said, I'll do everything in my power not to upset her."

"You'd better," Richard glowered, looking once more at his broccolis before turning around and going inside.

Harry heaved a sigh and wiped his forehead. Then his eyes widened again when he heard another set of footsteps. This time, however, it was Hermione.

"Hey," she said, smirking slightly. The warm afternoon sun cast faint shadows on her face and gave her brown strands a golden hue. Harry thought she looked angelic.

"Don't laugh," he said, which only made her giggle more.

"How can I not?" she asked, snickering. "The look on your face, it's so precious!"

Harry huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "You're lucky I love you so much."

Hermione walked right up close to him and placed her hands on either side of his waist. "What did Dad say?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, that if I break your heart I'm going to have to deal with him," he replied, uncrossing his arms to wrap them around her and pull her closer.

Hermione smiled and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"I should have told him that if I ever broke your heart, which I'll never, you'd hex me to an inch of my life. He wouldn't have to do anything at all," Harry said, his chest rumbling with chuckles.

Hermione looked up at him and slid her arms around his neck. "I trust you not to break my heart, you know," she said.

"Believe me, love, I'd rather die before I get you heartbroken," Harry replied, tightening his hold on her. "By the way," he said, "is it proper to do _this_" he pointed between them, "when your dad just gave me a threat not even a few minutes ago?"

Hermione giggled. "Mum told me she'd keep Dad busy for a while so you and I could talk," she answered, fiddling with the tiny hairs at the nape of Harry's neck.

Harry grinned. "I think I like your mum," he said and when Hermione gave him a mock-frown, he added as an afterthought, "I like your dad, too. He's just a bit scary, that's all."

"Thought so," Hermione murmured before pulling Harry's head down to press her lips to his. She smiled against his mouth when Harry began to kiss her back, his hands making tiny circles on her waist. She could not help but thread her fingers through Harry's unruly hair and pull him closer, fisting handfuls of his shirt.

"Mm… I love you," she murmured when they finally pulled apart.

Harry brought one of his hands up her side to caress her cheek lovingly. He nuzzled her nose with his and whispered, "And I love _you_, Hermione Granger."

Hermione beamed up at him. It still felt surreal to hear him say those words. She placed another quick kiss on his lips.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand, "we should go inside. Or my parents are going to wonder what's taking us so long."

Harry nodded and Hermione rolled her eyes when they entered the living room and Mr Granger fixed his glare on their joined hands. Charlotte gave him a look which made his expression soften a little.

"So, where _were _you two?" he asked.

"We, er - "

"Harry, darling, I made treacle tart, by the way. Hermione told me it's your favourite. Would you like to have a bite?" Mrs Granger asked, smiling brightly at Harry and Hermione.

Harry grinned. "Of course, ma'am, I'd love to."

"And by the way," she said, when she passed by them on her way to the kitchen, "call us Charlotte and Richard, won't you?"

"Er, OK," he replied awkwardly, which made Hermione snigger. They sat themselves down on the couch.

"Hermione, pumpkin," Richard said, "did you see my broccolis?"

"Yes, Daddy," she said, grinning. "They look fantastic."

Richard grinned back at her and patted her arm lovingly. "I wish I could take them back home with us, but they're not ready to be harvested yet."

"I understand, Dad," Hermione replied kindly. "But we have a bigger backyard in our house in London, we can grow more broccolis there."

"I suppose so."

"Richard, love," Mrs Granger called from the kitchen, "could you help me here, please?"

"Coming," Mr Granger called back and stood up, ruffled his daughter's hair and strode across the floor to the kitchen.

Hermione looked at Harry and grinned slyly, before leaning in to kiss him.

"As much as I am liking it here, I wish we could go back to the hotel because I am craving a proper snog now. It's been so long," she sighed, pulling back with a tiny pout.

Harry chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Hermione's head, making her sigh again and snuggle close to him.

"We have the rest of our lives for that, love," Harry whispered, relishing their closeness for a few moments before they heard her parents about to come in.

"I love you," Hermione said, closing her eyes and gently kissing Harry's chin.

Harry smiled into her hair and kissed it again. "I love you too, Hermione. I'll always love you. And that's a promise."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I have got the epilogue planned out and you'll get to read it soon enough. Although I don't like this story a lot, it **_**is **_**my first ever fanfic, so it'll always have a special place in my heart. Also, let me know what you think of this chapter!**

**I've started to write another H/Hr multichapter but I'll not start publishing it until I have written a good deal of chapters already. But I'll be putting out oneshots, obviously. So stay tuned!**


	9. IX Epilogue

**And here I present *drum roll* the last chapter, and the epilogue of Happily Ever After. It's my favourite chapter of this story, because I love writing about the Granger-Potter family.**

**And by the way, happy 22nd anniversary of the fall of Voldemort! Raise your wands for the Fallen Fifty (and shed a tear or two, maybe)**

**Enjoy the story!**

...

**HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

_Epilogue_

_..._

_May 2nd, 2004_

"Hermione!"

The woman in question stopped in her tracks and looked to her right.

"Hello, Mr Fisher," she smiled at the short, wispy-haired wizard hobbling towards her. "How's that leg?"

"It's been better," he wheezed. Then he looked up at her. "Are you _sure_ you are not going to attend the ball tonight? It's the anniversary of the end of the war, after all."

"I know, Mr Fisher, and I am sorry," she replied. "I hope you understand."

Jeremy Fisher blinked. "I do," he nodded.

"Thank you for that, Mr Fisher," Hermione said. "See you on Monday, then."

"Yes," Fisher mumbled. "On Monday, then." And with a deep sigh, the man turned around and left Hermione alone.

She shook her head. This happened every year since she joined the Ministry. Neither she nor Harry could understand why the Ministry felt the need to celebrate the occasion. It was a significant day, yes, but many of their own had died and she always preferred to spend the day with her close friends and family instead of dancing and drinking the night away. Usually, Teddy came over for the night but this year, the five-year-old and Andromeda had gone to Upper Flagley, where the boy's paternal grandfather, Hope, lived.

Glancing at the watch on her wrist and then heaving a sigh of her own, Hermione proceeded towards the lift.

...

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace, brushing the soot off her robes. She unfastened the clasp at her collar, took off the dark Ministry cloak and walked over to the door to hang it from the hook near it.

She turned around when she heard rustling behind her. Her eyes brightened at the sight of her husband and their eighteen-month-old sleeping in his arms.

"Hey, love," she greeted, melting into the one-armed hug Harry pulled her in. He smiled at her before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. They broke apart when the baby stirred.

"Mama?"

Both Hermione and Harry smiled. Hermione took their daughter from Harry's hold and kissed the baby's forehead.

"Mama's back, sweetheart," she cooed, running a feather-light finger down Rose's cheek. "I missed you so much."

Rose sighed, put her head against her mother's shoulder and in no time she was asleep again.

Harry laughed, kissing Hermione's forehead and stroking Rose's soft black tuft of hair.

"Has she eaten?" Hermione asked, referring to the child in her arms.

"Yes. But _you_ haven't," Harry replied. He carefully lifted Rose back into his arms before saying, "I made your favourite."

"Spaghetti?" Hermione asked, grinning.

"Yep," Harry nodded. "So you better wash up quickly."

…

"What're we watching?"

_"Matilda."_

"Rosie loves it!"

Hermione plopped down on the couch beside Harry, tucking her fuzzy-socked feet under her. "And _you_ love it too," Harry added, kissing his wife's nose.

"Mama! Mama!"

Hermione laughed at the obvious delight in her daughter's voice as she squirmed in her father's grip.

"There you go, love," Harry grinned, loosening his hold. Rose slid smoothly towards Hermione and wrapped her tiny arms around her mum's neck.

Hermione kissed the baby's forehead and laughed again when Rose refused to change her position.

"Rosie, love," she said, cupping the baby's face. "Do sit down. Don't you want to watch the movie?"

Rose only giggled. "Love Mama!" she squealed, wobbling a little on her short legs. Hermione put a hand on her back to steady her.

"Someone's been missing you like crazy," Harry quipped, a crooked grin etched on his face as he watched the exchange between his two favourite girls.

"I know you do, Rosie. Mama loves you too. You can sit down in my lap, you know?" Hermione asked helplessly.

"Well, Hermione," Harry said in a sing-song voice, "seems like our little girl does not want to watch a movie with us. What can we do about it?"

Hermione pretended to think, "Hmm, maybe we should start? See if she joins us?"

Rosie had buried her nose in her mother's neck and stayed put. Harry bit back a laugh and flicked his wand at the screen to turn it on.

"Oh, look, Rosie," Hermione whispered, "there's another baby on the telly," referring to the curious eyes of the baby at the beginning of the film.

"Yes, isn't she cute?" Harry asked.

"Very," Hermione answered. "Not as cute as our Rosie, though." This made Rose look up and gaze from her mother to her father and back. She pouted and narrowed her eyes, trying to appear stern.

"Mama love Rosie. Dada love Rosie. Only Rosie," she demanded. Then she turned around to look at baby Matilda on the screen and pointed at her. "Mean baby."

Hermione and Harry laughed.

"Oh, darling," Hermione said, pulling Rose to her chest. "Of course we love only you, Rosie. You're _our_ baby." She emphasised her point by kissing all over Rose's face. Then she looked at Harry. "Isn't Rosie the best baby in the world?"

"She is." Harry grinned, holding out his arms. The baby wobbled over to him and squealed in delight when her father tossed her into the air.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, smacking his arm. "Don't do that."

"Fly?" Rose asked tentatively, holding onto Harry's shoulder.

"Mama said no, love," Harry kissed the baby's forehead. "But I can always teach you how to fly when you're a bit older, what say?"

Rosie hummed happily, allowing her father to set her down on his lap, her back resting against his stomach and her bright green eyes fixating themselves on the screen.

"There's a good girl," Hermione whispered, stroking her daughter's dark curls. With a peck to her husband's cheek, Hermione snuggled further into the crook of Harry's arm, smiling when she felt him kiss her temple.

And then the small family sat there, tucked together comfortably, perfectly content and silent, except for the occasional squeal or gasp from baby Rose. The rest of the world and its worries faded into the background.

All in all, it was a Friday evening for the books.

And there were many more of the same to come.

...

**And that, folks, marks the end of this ride. Phew. Took a whole year. Thanks to everyone who read, favourited, followed and commented - you guys are the literal best!**

**To say I am very pleased with how the story turned out would be untrue, but it ****_is _****my first one, so it is special to me. I have more than one WIP in the works at the moment, with several more ideas in my head that I have yet to put to paper (or GDocs, same thing). Check out my profile to know what they're about. **

**Also, I won't be publishing my new WIP until it is completed to avoid infrequent updates or even possible abandonment. But just so you know, if I think it's taking too long, I'll probably start uploading the chapters as I finish. Anyway, like I said, keep an eye on my profile for updates on my progress.**

**Stay safe, guys, and wash them hands.**

**Until next time.**

**Toodle :D**

**~ Miranda**


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